Mad Destiny
by CosmicGirl22
Summary: An 18 year old girl finds her destiny. Is a OFC/Toad romance..Chap 16 up! has become more of a Toad/Ofc/Pyro love triangle....
1. Mad Destiny

This is something I wrote last night after watching X-men for the zillionth time. If you like it let me know...  
  
  
I finally got my drivers license at age 18. I hadn't before that because I was too afraid of taking the test. Dumb, I know, but that was me. I had always been afraid of things, like ordering for myself at McDonalds, or buying a soda pop at the local connivance store. I was full of irrational fears, and I was supposed to be an Aries.   
  
Ariesians are known for their love of conflict, and passion in attacking goals head on. I had always been the exact opposite. I was completely comfortable blending into the surroundings, or ducking my head down at the possible sign of tension.   
  
I was convinced that either horoscopes were completely bogus, or my parents had made some mistake on the day I was born and I was, unknowingly, really a Libra or Pisces. Neither turned out to be true.   
  
I had been eighteen for exactly two months. Life had been going well. I had my own little one bedroom apartment, a car, a job, and I was taking classes at the local community college. A few summer classes to get myself prepared for the fall. Mostly because I was terrified at the idea of college and wanted to at least know where I was supposed to be, before actually having to be there.   
  
It was about 2 am. I was on my way home from my job as a receptionist at a local hotel. As shy as I was, answering phones didn't bother me at all. I could be brave as long as I didn't have to be face to face with the person I was talking to.   
  
The drive home wasn't a very long one. I was being careful not to drive too fast. I was scared to death of a police officer stopping me (another little phobia I had).  
  
It happened so suddenly I'm still not exactly sure what transpired. I lost control of the car. It was like an invisible hand jerked the steering wheel away from me, and drove me right into the base of a large tree.  
  
I woke up some distance from the car. My whole body felt like it was dying inside. I got shakily to my feet. I panicked. I wrecked my car, police would be swarming around here any minute. (LET THEM COME…I'll KILL THEM ALL) Where had that thought come from? My head? Impossible. As soon as the thought had come, it was gone, the police fear replacing it.  
  
"Exactly *how* fast were you driving, Miss Welty?"  
"Why *are* you out this late, Miss Welty."  
"We are going to take you in for some more questions, Miss Welty."  
  
I went through the interrogation in my head. It was horrible. I couldn't go through that. No, I had to stay. It was my car. They would know it was me anyway, sooner or later.   
  
That's when I saw him. He was an older man standing some distance from me. He was just staring at me. He was odd in the respect that he was wearing a helmet of some kind that covered most of his face. He began walking briskly toward me. A few hours ago my first instinct would have been to cower, but a new feeling had overtaken me.   
  
Courage.   
  
I stood my ground. (LOOK FOR THE NEAREST THING YOU CAN USE AS A WEAPON.) Where were these thoughts coming from? A pounding grew inside my ears, I was preparing for battle. I leaped backwards and grabbed a large branch that was on the ground and brandished it at the man, who stood looking unimpressed.   
  
"Racheal Welty?" he asked, his voice sounding calm.   
  
"What's it to you?" I barked before I realized what I was saying.   
  
He half smiled and looked back at the car. (HE'S TURNED HIS BACK…STRIKE NOW!) came the now familiar voice inside of my head, but I held my stance. I was too curious about what he wanted, and how he knew my name, to attack him.   
  
"We should leave before anyone turns up, Miss Welty." he said taking a step towards me.   
  
"I'll go nowhere with you until I get some answ---." but before I finished my sentence someone had grabbed me forcefully from behind. (FOOL. SHOULD'VE KNOWN THERE WOULD BE OTHERS) I cursed myself. But then I questioned how I should've known that. Confusion setting in I allowed myself to be led away to a parked van, not ten feet from where I had crashed.   
  
Fitted tightly into restraints, I took in the sight of my two captors. The older man, still wearing that odd red helmet, and the other, not so much a man as a beast with long golden mane of hair and long claw like fingernails. There was someone upfront driving whom I couldn't see.   
  
"I am Magneto," the older man began, "This is my colleague Sabretooth." he made reference to the man with long golden hair.  
  
My first response was to say Lady Aries, but then I remembered my name was Racheal Welty, and that they were already aware of that fact. So instead I asked where we were headed.  
  
"In due time." was his only reply, and we drove off in silence.   
  
  
  
  
  
In the days that followed, I was being kept in something of a cell. I had one window which overlooked the ocean and I could tell I was being kept in what looked like the side of a cliff. My cell was comfortable enough, and I had regular meals, brought to me by the one called Sabretooth. Who mostly kept silent, only occasionally grunting, "There's your food."  
  
I could feel myself changing inside. Slowly and subtly at first, then more dramatically. My previous self began to seem far away. I had lost the habit of biting my nails almost at once so they had grown out some. They looked to me like possible weapons, there if I needed to use them. I had begun reckless exercising, sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, forcing my body into a weapon as well. The small mirror on the far wall showed that my outside appearance was changing also. My normally green eyes now burned a fiery red. My exercising had caused my face to become slightly sunken. My hair was beginning to grow out black, from my natural brown color. Disliking the two-tone look, I opted to pull it back into a loose pony tail, also it was better for exercise.   
  
The loud forceful demands my brain had made the night of the car crash were more frequent. They were melding themselves to me, becoming a part of my own psyche. Even my dreams were plagued with war-like nightmares of killings, disembowelings, and torture. All by my own hands. I didn't know what was more disturbing about them, the thought of myself killing people, or the fact that I enjoyed it. I usually woke up with what I can only describe as a blood lust. I wanted to kill and mame. Screw the consequences, I had to cause terror. Then I would come back to myself, scared to death that I was loosing my mind. I was glad they had me jailed so that I couldn't hurt anyone. So, again I would throw myself into senseless exercising to dull the ceaseless pounding in my ears.  
  
  
The man named Magneto returned a week later. Standing on the other side of the bars. He had brought my evening meal. This time he wasn't wearing his helmet.  
  
"How are you doing Racheal?" he asked politely, pushing my food thru the slot in the bars. Only, he didn't use his hands. The metal plate slid thru on its own. I bit into my tongue and gave him a glare. "Let me guess," he continued, "you're name is no longer Racheal Welty."  
  
"I'm not sure who I am anymore." I said, meanwhile sizing him up as an opponent.   
  
"Perhaps I can shed a little light on that for you." he motioned to come inside, then asked, "Do you mind?"  
  
I shook my head and the metal bars of my cell parted and he walked inside, they sprang back shut behind him. I watched as he sat himself down on the small couch and crossed his legs. Since he was sitting I felt comfortable enough to do the same.   
  
"What's happened to me?" I asked sounding weaker than I would have liked. "I feel as though there are two people living inside of me, fighting for control."  
  
"Oddly enough that isn't far from the truth," he paused. "Your mutation has been foretold for years. Others didn't believe it was true, but there are those of us who can read the stars…"  
  
"Mutation?" I asked disbelieving what I had heard. "I'm a mutant?" The voice in my head laughed (IMPOSSIBLE, I'M A GOD) I shoved the voice back and tried to concentrate on what Magneto was saying.   
  
"…the power to use and manipulate the strengths of the mythological God Ares, The God of War. You *are* familiar with Greek mythology, aren't you Miss Welty?" he paused and looked expectantly at me.   
  
"Barely." I murmured. I wanted to think that this was ridiculous, but deep down I knew it had to be the truth. It was the only explanation for the symptoms I had been having. Magneto smiled. I looked away from him because I didn't like the expression on his face. He was looking at me as though I was some sort of missing piece to his puzzle.   
  
"You are doing quite well under the circumstances. We have been watching you for a very long time Miss Welty. We have been waiting for you to mutate for some years now, my colleagues and I." He stood up and began pacing the small room/cell. "When you reached your 18th year, we decided that we had waited long enough, and should help you along."  
  
The metal tray sliding across the floor, the metal bars springing back by themselves, and the steering wheel suddenly melded in my head.   
  
"You wrecked my car." I mused and he smiled again.   
  
"Yes, and fortunately it worked." He seemed very pleased with himself.   
  
"Why would you do that?" I asked.  
  
"There is a coming war with the humans, and with you on our side we will be invincible."   
  
The word war rang out in my head. An almost adrenaline-like rush flooded through me. (WAR) I could taste the sulfur of a thousand cannon blasts. The ringing of gunshots and soldier battle cries filled my ears. I pitched myself onto the floor and covered my ears to try to escape the noise but it was pointless, the sounds were inside me. It was as much a part of me as my hands or even my blood. If just the mention of the word war did this to me, how could I continue to function? How could I live? How could I survive? (YOUR DESTINY) came the voice. Destiny? I didn't even believe in destiny.  
  
"Are you alright?" came Magneto's voice. His tone, however, seemed unconcerned. I tasted blood in my mouth and realized I had bit my tongue. I had never had a seizure before but apparently that is what happened.   
  
"How can I control this?" I asked, spitting red onto the floor.  
  
"Control it?" his voice was cold, then he laughed. Going back to the bars, he stopped and looked back at me, still lying on the cold steel floor. "Don't try to fight it, Miss Welty, let it have you." Then he was gone. The voice, however, was not.  
  
(…KILL…KILL…YOUR DESTINY…TERROR…MURDER…DESTINY…)   
  
"But…" I said to no one in particular as I pulled myself up. It felt as thought everything was against me; gravity, my captor Magneto. Even my own head was pulling me in a direction I didn't want to go, and aching to show me something I didn't want to see.  
  
Like a phoenix rising from its ashes, I stood and came to grips with what I had become. The voice in my head finally seemed appeased enough to silence itself. Finally taking it's place in my deepest subconscious, and melding itself with my own brain.   
I was no longer only Racheal Welty, now I had the force of Ares inside of me. Exactly what this meant, I wasn't sure.   
  
  
I know the mutation sort of stinks but it was the only original thing I could come up with....at least I think its original?? Cosmic 


	2. Family Pains

Big thank you to my reviewers! (both of ya lol) Heres another chapter...please r/r.  
  
I was sure that I had to escape. Magneto had been talking about a war with humanity. My parents, friends, and family were humans. I couldn't help him. No, I had to escape, and quickly. I needed to find my family and let them know what had happened to me. They must be worried, I thought.   
  
It took thirty minutes for me to work myself up enough to spread the bars of my cell window open. It seemed that super human strength was also a part of my mutation, but it only worked in moments of great stress or great determination.   
  
I lowered myself down onto the rocky wall below my window and begun to slowly and methodically climb down to the bottom.   
  
  
I reached a tunnel that led down through Magneto's base. The walls were damp and the air was cold. As I walked further down I begun to think that I was now somewhere beneath the ocean itself. If I had been my old self I would have panicked, but instead I just walked faster hoping to find some means of escaping the island.  
  
My mind was so preoccupied with the thoughts of escaping that I didn't hear or see the man crouched in the shadows in front of me until it was too late. He leap forward and blocked my path.  
  
"Going somewhere, love?" he asked in a heavy British accent. I moved to the right, he leapt over and again blocked my path…the same thing when I moved to the left. My eyes scanned the tunnel for something to defend myself with, but the only thing I could find was a medium sized rock.   
  
I somersaulted backwards and grabbed the rock and made to throw it but before I could I felt something wet and warm wrap tightly around my wrist. It cut off the circulation to my hand and forced me to drop the rock, which landed on the ground with a clanging sound.   
  
I realized that it was his tongue that held my wrist. A tongue that was at least twice the length of his body. When the rock hit the ground, he released my, now purple, wrist. Within a blink of an eye his tongue was back in his mouth. I sunk down and began nursing my wrist.   
  
"Who are you?" I asked as he approached.  
  
"Toad." he said as he chunked the rock far out of my reach.   
  
"Fitting." I said, taking in his appearance.   
  
He had blotchy green skin that was dotted with warts of various sizes. His teeth were undersized but his mouth made up for it with an over abundance of gums. His eyes were deep-set and were a dark incandescent green. I found him slightly hideous and yet very handsome at the same time.   
  
"And your name?" he asked as he hunched down. I got the impression that he was as comfortable in that position as he was standing up.  
  
"Aries." I answered.  
  
"Fitting." he laughed and pointed at my red eyes. I had to smile. "Come on." he said lifting me up. "Got to get you back upstairs."  
  
"No," I stammered, "Let me go, please. I have to see my parents. They must be so worried."   
  
"You have to see Magneto, love." he said.  
  
"Please…Toad…Is there something else I can call you?" I asked not liking calling someone a toad.  
  
"Mortimer." he said, although it sounded like 'Mort-mer'.  
  
"I'm Racheal." I smiled. I was trying to stall him long enough to get away. "How long have you known Magneto?"  
  
"Quite awhile." he said turning to look at me. His eyes were larger than I had originally thought. "Magneto took me in when no one else wanted me. He is a great man."   
  
"No one wanted you?" I asked, suddenly feeling very sorry for him.   
  
"Is that so surprising?" Toad's eyes were now so intense that I lost my breath.   
  
I stammered for a response but then decided no answer was better than a trite one.   
  
We walked a little ways before reaching a staircase. As we walked I noticed that Toad was carrying a knife in the side pocket of his jacket. I thought it best to start conversation again and distract him before I snatched the knife.   
  
"I think who ever gave you up was nuts." I said out-of-the-blue, hoping to distract him.   
  
"That would be my parents." he continued walking. "I guess a green baby didn't look right in their family photos." he mused.  
  
"That's really lame…" I said and then inwardly cursed my 18 yr old vocabulary. "What I mean to say is…I'm sorry."   
  
"Yeah, well, we're all orphans now." he said and then turned his head to look in the opposite direction. Here was my chance. The knife just sitting there in his pocket waiting for me to snatch it. So, why wasn't I? It was the fact I didn't want to use a knife on him. I wasn't sure why, but I was developing feelings for him. Feelings that I couldn't yet explain or even comprehend. My thoughts were not enough in the end and I grabbed the knife anyway. In a flash, I had the knife at his throat.  
  
"I will slice you, Mort." I said, somehow intuitively knowing where his jugular vein was. "Tell me how to get off this island, and don't even think about using that tongue of yours or I'll slice it off." I said it as kindly as possible, since it *was* a threat.  
  
"There's a boat," he stammered. "on the south side of the island. You can take it to the mainland."  
  
"Thanks Mort." I said, withdrawing the knife and kissing him quickly on the cheek.   
  
I still don't know why he didn't attack me as I ran away. Instead he only yelled after me. "They wont want you anymore!" I didn't pay any attention. I just kept running. Of course my parents would want me. At least I thought so at the time.  
  
  
I got to the beach without much trouble, and I found the boat in a few moments time. I could see the main land from the island so finding my way home wasn't much trouble. I hitched rides and walked to my hometown. It was two days later when I finally showed up on my parents front porch.   
  
"Racheal! Oh Keith, It's Racheal!" My mom yelled as she opened the door. "Oh we were so worri…" but her voice soon broke off when she caught sight of my eyes. "Racheal, what happened to you?" her tone more cold and untrusting than it had been at first. That's when my dad showed from behind her.   
  
"Who is it, Geegee?" his pet name for my mom.   
  
"Our daughter…" she replied but somehow it sounded more like a question than a statement.   
  
"Rach?" dad said looking me over. I was drenched and cold.  
  
"Can I please come in?" I said, "I'll tell you everything just let me in." Neither of them moved. They just stood there looking at me as though I was a dog.  
  
"What's wrong with your eyes?" Mom asked after a pregnant pause.   
  
"I was in a car accident." I explained but they didn't look worried.  
  
"Yes, we knew that." My dad said after a moment. "They told us they found your car abandoned. You couldn't call and let us know you were ok?"  
  
"I was being held hostage by a mutant organization." even saying it sounded stupid.   
  
"I see." My mom said and she disappeared back into the house. My dad and I stood there looking at each other in silence. She returned a moment later and handed me a check. It was made out to me for the sum of $600.00. I looked at her, confused. "Take that." she said, noticing my confusion. "That's all the money in our checking account. You take that and leave us alone." With that she shut the door in my face.   
  
Needless to say, I was floored. Toad had been right. Humans did hate mutants, even if they were their own offspring.  
  
  
So, cash the check I did. I went back to my own apartment. I knew it was stupid, but I had no where else to go. I showered and put on some clean clothes then crashed on my bed. I had been asleep some time when I realized my phone was ringing. I went to my phone but the line was dead. I realized that they must've shut me off for not paying the bill but there was still a ringing coming from somewhere. I searched until I found a cell phone in my dirty pants pocket.   
  
"Hello?" I asked, knowing full well that someone had planted the phone in my pocket.  
  
"Ah Miss Welty, I was beginning to worry about you. You left in such a hurry." It was Magneto's voice.   
  
"Don't you mean to say I escaped." I said bitterly.   
  
"Mmm…" Magneto mused. "The word escape seems to imply that someone stopped you from leaving and from what I've heard that didn't happen."  
  
"You're talking about Toad?" I asked.  
  
"Yes, That's right." he answered. "How did your visit with your parents go?" his voice holding a touch of amused sarcasm.  
  
The realization that my parents had disowned me started to sink in. I couldn't control my tears anymore. I couldn't answer.  
  
"Come back to us Racheal." he said sounding kinder than he had before. "You are no longer one of them. They have nothing to offer you now. You are superior to them, and they hate you for it."  
  
My weakness and sadness overwhelmed me and I accepted his offer.  
  
"Alright, Magneto." I said. "Come get me." I dropped the phone and waited.  
  
  
  
any creative ideas are welcome! The only thing written in stone is that she's gonna fall for Toad (suprised right? lol) 


	3. Weapons of Choice

Chapter 3...Thank you for the reviews! I appreciate them! I didn't want to confuse people between The Greek War-God and my character…so when I was talking about him I spelled it Ares…and when I was talking about my character I spelled it Aries…I was reading a Greek mythology book when I wrote that and that's how they were spelling it (Ares) so I just figured that's how it was spelled and modern horoscopes were different for some reason, but it was an old paperback from like 1950 and it was probably way off…anyway I hope that makes more sense now!   
Ares-War God   
Aries-My char Racheal. (and I agree…Toad needs some lovin'.)  
Hope you like this chapter! R/r.  
  
  
  
To my surprise it was Toad that showed up on my door step hours later. He was wearing a forest colored jacket with the hood up. I presumed it was so that he could walk in public without attracting attention.   
  
"You ready?" he asked. He was standing in the rays of my porch light. I got to get a closer look at him. His eyes glistened green and black. He had a few dark green moles on his face. His complexion was ruddy and blotched. Still his features were handsome. Even more so in the familiarity of my home than they had been inside the depths of a cave.   
  
"Yeah. I wasn't sure what to take, so I just packed some clothes." I said lifting my duffel bag.   
  
"Magneto will take care of you." he gave a quick smile. "You're one of us now. We will all take care of you." He took my duffle bag and lifted it over his shoulder and began to walk off.   
  
"Wait," I stopped him, "You were right, you know…about my parents…they…"  
  
"You don't have to explain." he said offhandedly. "Like I said before you tried to kill me…we're all orphans now."  
  
"I wasn't trying to kill you." I laughed, walking alongside him.   
  
"And what do you call putting a knife to someone's throat?" he said.  
  
"Escaping. Besides you're still here, aren't you?" He didn't say anything, just gave a bemused grin.  
  
We loaded into a van. Mortimer behind the steering wheel and me beside him. It had gotten very dark outside and there was a chill in the air. Mortimer pulled down the hood of his jacket off of his head, revealing green-black hair. I had an impulse to touch his hair and see if it was as soft as it looked.   
  
"Why did you kiss my cheek?" he asked after we had gone a few miles. His face was still perfectly clear from the light on the dashboard. He was wearing a confused look. When I didn't answer him right away he pressed on. "I was just wondering, no ones ever…I mean…It was unexpected."  
  
"I'm sorry if it bothered you." I said.  
  
"No, it didn't." he said quickly, "I just wanted to know why."  
  
"I don't know how to answer that." I said finally. "It was just something I wanted to do…I guess." I know it was a lame answer. I surely didn't usually go around kissing guys for no reason. 'It was just a peck on the cheek tho', I told myself, 'it wasn't like I French kissed him.'   
  
"You *wanted* to kiss me?" he asked, still looking unconvinced.  
  
"Yeah, I wanted to kiss ya." *Change the subject…quickly.* "So, was Magneto mad when he found out I escaped?"  
  
"You could say that." he turned off onto an off-ramp.   
  
"Are there any more of you there?" I asked. "Besides Magneto, you, and Sabertooth?"  
  
"Yeah, Mystique." he said offhandedly, it was apparent he was still thinking about the 'kiss subject'.  
  
"Whose Mystique?" I asked, interested to know who else I would be living with. So far Toad was the best of all of them.   
  
"She's a shape-shifter." he said.   
  
I was beginning to get the impression that he didn't want to talk any more so I just said, "Oh," and then sat quietly the rest of the journey. At least now I knew there was another girl/woman that I would be living with.  
  
  
I wish I could say that I was greeted with warm welcomes, when I reached the island but instead Magneto simply smiled at my return and then forged on with my training.   
  
He took me into a room that was laden with weapons of all sorts. Guns of different calibers, knifes of all sizes, darts with different colored feathers, chop and pick axes, the list went on and on. On the far side of the room was a line of targets, all with a very small bull's eye.   
  
"Let's start with these." he said as he handed me a small pistol. I had never held a gun in my life but I knew exactly how to load and cock it. I aimed at the small bull's eye and pulled the trigger. The bullet lodged itself firmly in the middle of the target.   
  
"A real Annie Oakley." Magneto said happily. "Try these." He handed me a large bowie knife and motioned for me to take aim at the target. Again, dead center. On it went until at least one of all the weapons was firmly lodged in a bull's eye. It appeared that the God of War had filled me with a knowledge of all weapons of the world since the dawn of time. My favorites being the large battle axe, because it felt heavy and powerful in my hands, and the darts, for their speed and accuracy.   
  
Magneto explained that the different colored darts were laced with different poisons. The white fletching were only to stun, the red fletching were dipped in blowfish toxin…death.   
  
He took me into another room. This table had small circular objects on them. He picked one up.  
  
"This is a…" he began.  
  
"Flash bomb." I cut him off and took it from him. "Good for making quick getaways."   
  
"Very impressive, Racheal." Magneto smiled. I sat the flash bomb back on the table and admired the rest of them. Smoke bombs and other small explosives lined the table. "Your mutation continues to surprise me. Come. I have something for you." He led me into yet another room. Standing in a corner was a headless mannequin, wearing a black leather jumpsuit. The jumpsuit had a red slash that ran slant ways across the front, a gun holster on the side, and what looked like a place for darts down both legs. A pair of dark red boots laid beside it.  
  
"I trust it will fit." he said, going to the jumpsuit. "This here is for a handgun, these here are for darts, there are places for knives in the boots, and a place for a blinder bomb here." he pointed to the cleavage area.   
  
"Cut a little low, isn't it?" I asked, but if he heard he didn't seem to show it. He was busy un zipping it from the mannequin.   
  
"Try it on." he said, "I'll be back in a few minutes." he handed me the jumpsuit and then left back through the way we had came in.   
  
I sighed deeply and changed into it. It was tight enough that it felt like a second skin. The boots had a small heel to them, making me slightly taller.   
  
Magneto knocked before he reentered. He was obviously pleased with what he saw.   
  
"It did fit." He did a circle around me.   
  
"Taking it in from all angles?" I asked sarcastically. He didn't answer, instead he made a motion for me to follow him back into the weapon room.   
  
We fitted a gun in the gun holster, knives in my boots, a small flash bomb into my cleavage and three darts across each leg. The left leg held the white-stun darts, the right held the red-death darts.   
  
I had been transformed into a walking arsenal.   
  
"Tomorrow we will began your combative training. I will have you going head to head with Toad and Sabertooth. I don't think you'll have too much trouble."   
  
We went back into the room that I had changed in. He left again so that I could get back into my 'normal' clothes. As I was changing I started to think about facing Mortimer in combat. Sabertooth didn't bother me. I could fight him with no problem…(well, at least I thought I could…) but I didn't want to fight Mort. He was somewhat of a friend. The only one I had, actually. Magneto had been kind, but it wasn't because he liked me, it was because he liked my powers.   
  
When I had changed, Magneto took me into another large room. It appeared to be sort of a common room. There was two large sofas, a television, a kitchen area complete with table and chairs. Sabertooth was staring down into the fridge, Toad was slouched on the couch watching television, music videos. He was wearing a black turtleneck and long green pants. He looked, in a word, good.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
onto chapter 4... 


	4. Welcomehome?

(From now on I'm writing in third-person, more from Toads POV. I thought it might be an interesting change for a bit.)  
  
"Where's Mystique?" Magneto asked Sabertooth.  
  
Toad's head popped up and he gave a kind smile to Racheal. She smiled and deflected her eyes. Toad's first thought was that she looked away because of his appearance. He had been used to people recoiling at the sight of him, but she hadn't looked away earlier that evening on her front steps. No, she had stared, almost entranced, into his eyes.   
  
"She went that way." growled Sabertooth as he shut the refrigerator door. Magneto went off in the direction of Mystique.   
  
Racheal shyly sat down next to Toad on the couch.   
  
'She's just a girl,' he told himself, 'Nothing to get worked up over. What are girls good for anyway? Except to yell 'Mutie Mortie!' across the playground. But Racheal is different, isn't she?…She is a mutant too. She kissed me. No one's ever kissed me. Not even my own mother.'  
  
"What are you watching?" she asked him. His thoughts had been elsewhere and it took him a second to process what she had said.   
  
"Nothing important," he said, handing her the remote, "Get whatever you want."  
  
"Thanks, but that's alright." she sat the remote on the coffee table. "Not really in the mood for TV."   
  
Sabertooth's eyes went from Racheal to Toad and then back again. He gave a sour look then went back to eating.   
  
Magneto came back, but he wasn't alone. He had a woman with him. She was blue and scaly and had yellow cat-like eyes. She looked Racheal over carefully then sat down opposite her on the other couch.   
  
"Now that we are all here," began Magneto, "I would like to introduce a new member to our family. As you may know, her given name is Racheal, her chosen name is Aries. Please extend every courtesy to make her feel welcome."   
  
Mystique flashed her eyes to Magneto, then back to Racheal. She gave Racheal a half smile and a nod. Toad reached over and patted Racheal on the shoulder.  
  
"Congrats, and welcome." he said in his British accent, before sinking back into his other position. Magneto looked over to Sabertooth with a raised eyebrow.   
  
"Welcome." Sabertooth said lowly, before going back to his dinner.   
  
"Thanks," Racheal said smiling. It felt good to be welcomed. Even if Sabertooth's welcome had been a little forced, Toad's had made up for it. "Where do I sleep?" she asked Magneto.  
  
"Toad, If you would please show Racheal to her sleeping quarters. Mystique, come with me." Mystique and Magneto left thru one of the four doors that lined the room. Racheal was getting the impression that the base was more of a labyrinth than any thing else and it would take time to get to know her way around.   
  
Toad rose from his seat and waited for Racheal to do the same.  
  
"You want to go now?" he asked.  
  
"Alright," she lifted herself up. She was tired.   
  
He led her out through another door. They walked for a few minutes in silence. Racheal trying to commit the hall way to memory. It was hard when all the hallways looked the same.   
  
They reached a heavy metal door. Racheal pulled it open and looked inside. It was a medium sized room with a high ceiling. The sparse décor consisted of a round bed in the center of the room, a dresser with 5 drawers, and a small bathroom off to the side. She walked into the room and Mortimer followed her. Her duffel bag laid against her dresser. The bed was on a raised round platform. The color of the room was that same steel gray that everything else was.   
  
"You think you can find your way back?" Mortimer asked her. He was standing just inside the door.   
  
"I think so," she laughed. "If not I'll just yell for you in the morning."  
  
"I could come by and get you." he offered. She smiled again, she was always smiling, another thing he wasn't used to.   
  
"I'd appreciate it." She plopped herself down and Mortimer went to leave but she stopped him. "Mort," he turned and looked at her, "I was wondering…" her voice broke off.  
  
'She calls me Mort,' he thought, 'She calls me Mort and I actually like it.'  
  
"I was wondering if you had more powers than the leaping and your tongue."  
  
"Well, I'm part amphibian, aren't I?" he said and walked forward and sat down on the bed beside her. He moved his turtleneck down and showed her his skin beneath. It was the same green color as his face. He pointed to what looked like long scars around the back of his neck. They were hardly visible but she was just able to make them out. She ran her fingers along them. "When I was younger, I had gills." he said then lifted his shirt collar back up, covering them. Being this close to him made her head spin. She knew exactly how she felt about him. She was falling in love with him. She told herself that it was the wrong time to fall for anybody. The stress of the recent events and the fact that she had to be strong was probably causing her to think she wanted him, when really all she wanted was to go back home.   
  
'To be in his arms would feel like home.' she thought unhappily. 'Maybe if I…'  
  
She laid her head on his shoulder. He stiffened beneath her touch.   
  
"I'm sorry," she lifted her head. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."  
  
"It's not you," he said standing. "I'm tired, I'll come by for you in the morning." With that he left. Racheal cursed herself for getting too close to him, then threw herself back on the bed and slept.  
  
In the hall, Mortimer crouched in the shadows. He wasn't yet ready to be out of her presence entirely. 


	5. That Morning

Sometime during the night Toad crept silently into her room. He was perfectly contented to watch the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest.   
  
****  
  
The rest of that night was a blur and she awoke as the faintest light poured in her open window. She laid motionless for a few minutes. Trying her best to take in the events of the night before. As she got up to dress she thought of Mortimer. The feel of his skin as she had ran a finger along his faded gills, and the look in his eyes.  
  
He arrived a few minutes later. Knocking on the door before entering. He was wearing gray, which made his skin look darker than usual. Mortimer took her back the same way as the night before and back into the common room where breakfast had been prepared.  
  
Magneto greeted her, beaming.   
  
"Racheal, I trust you slept well." he said as he pushed her chair back. Racheal sat down in the chair that was offered to her. She was sitting opposite Sabretooth, who was eating what looked like steak and eggs, she wasn't sure however, because he had them where they were all running together. "May I get you something?" asked Magneto, "Eggs? Juice?"  
  
"Sure." she said looking around. "Um…just toast and juice." Magneto nodded and made her toast. It was odd to see him doing something so trivial as making toast but she decided that he was just a person after all.   
  
After eating, she was told to get her 'suit' on.   
she followed Mortimer, Sabretooth, and Magneto down deep into the mountains caves. Many twists and turns later they arrived at a door sealed with a huge metal lock. Magneto opened it without a key.   
  
  
  
Can someone please give me some ideas? This chapter was sorta forced...just any ideas on where to go with this,... (i'll love you forever!) 


	6. Battle Time

Mortimer and Racheal stood in the middle of the room looking at one another. They were sizing each other up. Both preparing for the whistle blast as they paced. Finally it came. Toad quickly evaded her first lunge. Racheal was in her element. Her movements as fluid as Toad's. This was hand to hand combat. This was something she could understand. The basic feeling of do or die. The knowledge that it was you or him. She had to remind herself this was only a training session.  
  
Toad was smiling. It was apparent he felt likewise.   
  
She reached for one of her stun darts and it sliced toward Toad with pinpoint accuracy. However, he lunged out of the way just before it struck him.   
  
Racheal looked up to see him stuck to the wall.  
  
"You failed to mention you can stick to walls!" she called out as she dodged his tongue lashing towards her.  
  
"You don't expect me to give away all my secrets, do you?" he said when his tongue had returned to his mouth, a hint of sarcasm in his British voice.  
  
"I just wonder what else you may be hiding." she said as he landed beside her.  
  
"Only one way to find out." he said just before his hands made with her body.  
  
The wrestled each other to the ground, when Racheal was on top of Toad, Magneto blew the whistle again.  
  
"Excellent." he said, coming down from the rafters. "Toad, take a break. Now its Sabertooth's turn."  
  
Racheal got off of Toad and got to her feet. Sabertooth was advancing to her quickly. She could tell he didn't plan on waiting for a whistle.  
  
Racheal doubled back. She was doing everything she could to evade Sabertooth's advances. He was big and strong, but cumbersome and a lot slower than she was. She went for a stun dart but before she could throw it Sabretooth had grabbed her hand and forced her to drop it. She tried to wrestle her hand away from his grip but it wasn't budging. She used her legs to kick him in the gut and he released her hand for a split second, but it was enough time for her to get her hand back. She turned to retreat but he grabbed her ankle, causing her to fall to the ground. Sabertooth turned her around and pressed his hands to her throat. Panic settled in as she searched for oxygen. Sabertooth's face was alight with a deranged smile. Deep down she knew he had no intention of letting her go.  
  
As the world started to black, she saw a swoosh and felt the relief of blood returning to her head. Gagging and gasping for air, she automatically set up. Looking over she saw that Toad had been the one that saved her from Sabertooth. Sabertooth and Toad were now barring teeth at each other. Magneto quickly broke them up. Toad walked to Rachel and helped her up. They both stood there glairing at Sabretooth. Hate seethed from Toad's eyes. Sabretooth just smiled at them and stormed off.   
  
Mortimer took Racheal's hand and led her back to the common room. He sat her on the couch and got her a glass of water for her now scratchy throat.   
  
"Why would he do that?" she asked between sips.  
  
"He's a bit of a loose cannon." Toad said after a pause. He lifted her glass back to her lips and made her drink more.   
  
She couldn't help but wonder how he had learned to be so caring, when he had never had a mother to show him compassion and love. He could have turned out like Sabertooth, but he hadn't. He was compassionate and loyal. Something Sabertooth could never be.  
  
She sat the glass down on the table and looked into Toad's strange green/black eyes.   
  
"Mort…" she began, not knowing exactly how to continue. "Mort, I think I'm falling for you."  
  
Toad looked away. Racheal took her hand and moved his gaze back to hers. She slowly leaned in to kiss him. He didn't withdraw. He met her kiss. Her hand still caressing his cheek. It was a kiss that held hope. Toad's hope for love, and Racheal's hope for the same thing.  
  
  
  
  
okie crappy last line lol  
r/r 


	7. A Mission

Glad you didn't think the last line was too corny! Anyway! I'm updating this…I found some inspiration last night! Hope it's still working for you all ;o) (by the way, anyone know where I can find some good toad screen grabs? Email me with info !or just email me anyway)  
  
  
  
Racheal's red eyes opened as Mortimer pulled away from her.  
  
"I'm sorry." he stammered.   
  
"For what?" she asked.  
  
"Taking advantage of you like that." he said looking away.  
  
"I kissed you, remember?"  
  
"I noticed that," he said, "but you're upset about Sabretooth and what he did."  
  
"Actually I feel better now, because of you." She reached for his hand. "You helped me, like always seem to do."   
  
Magneto walked in, Mystique following behind him. Magneto's eyes passed over Racheal's hand on Toads. Toad quickly pulled his hand away.  
  
"Now that you have had some proper training, Miss Welty, we shall test your abilities on the inferiors. Tonight we are going to the Center for Mutant Control, to destroy their files and essentially wreak havoc."  
  
"What does this Mutant Control Center do?" Racheal asked.  
  
"They are basically a registration office." Mystique answered. "So, that the government will have full knowledge of every mutant living in the United States."  
  
"But I thought the Mutant Registration Act hasn't been passed yet?" she asked.  
  
"It hasn't" Magneto said somberly. "At the moment the MCC is a private company-with illegal government funding."  
  
"And we just walk in?" she questioned.  
  
"No, the place will be guarded, but it shouldn't prove much of a problem-unless we have company." Magneto's eyes danced.  
  
"Company?"  
  
"Mm," Magneto nodded. "My old friend, Charles Xavier, has his own band of misinformed mutants. They strive for peace with the inferiors, not realizing that their kind will never accept us."  
  
"So, we may be fighting other mutants?" she asked remembering how badly she had faired earlier with Sabretooth.  
  
"I have faith in you, Aries. We are a brotherhood, and we do work as a team." Magneto gave her an encouraging look.   
  
Racheal felt some comfort in the fact that Toad would be by her side, looking out for her, as she knew he would.  
  
---  
  
Getting herself outfitted for the 'mission,' Racheal noticed all the darts that were laid out for her were red. She didn't question it though. As naive as she was, she knew that they weren't going there to ask them if they wanted to buy Avon products.   
  
It was going to be her real first battle. A battle in the war against humanity. Sure, she wasn't recruited under the best of circumstances, but The Brotherhood was quickly becoming her family. A theory that was proven as Sabertooth entered and approached her.  
  
Racheal instinctively tensed in his presence. On her guard that he would try to hurt her again.  
  
"Welcome to the team," he said casting long glances down the row of weapons. "Don't get us killed." With that he walked past her and out of the room.  
  
'So what? He has to practically kill someone before he can accept them?' Racheal thought to herself, but she took this welcome as a sincere one. Possibly as sincere as Sabretooth could be.  
  
----  
  
  
Magneto had decided that they would drive a mile away from the center and walk the rest of the way, as to make a surprise entrance.   
  
"I want Racheal with me. The rest of you head to the rear of the building to get rid of any stragglers." Magneto instructed as they got out of the van.   
  
Mortimer and Racheal held a long gaze before Mortimer went to follow Sabretooth and Mystique. Their eyes verbalizing what they were both feeling, but could not say.   
'Be careful.'   
  
  
  
Magneto walked a brisk pace toward the front of the building. Racheal did her best to stay as close as possible to him.  
  
"I notice you and Mortimer are becoming…close." Magneto said as they walked.  
  
"Oh?" she asked, surprised that he had picked up on it. "Yeah, well, he's nice." she stammered searching for the right adjectives to describe Mortimer.  
  
"Do not worry," Magneto said picking up on her uncertain tone. "Mortimer is an adult and can make his own choices. I think you two should get closer, if that is what you both want."  
  
"I don't know what he wants," she said after another moment of walking, "but I think he would like to hear you say that. Your approval means a lot to him."  
  
"He will approach me when he's ready." Magneto said.  
  
At first Racheal thought his comment sounded heartless, but the more she thought about it the more sense it made. It would be awkward for Magneto to approach Mortimer on the subject of her.   
  
They reached the mutant registration building. Four guards all holding semi-automatic weapons were standing at the gate.  
  
"Hold it right there, freaks!" One guard yelled as he noticed Magneto's helmet, and Racheal, the walking arsenal.  
  
Having guns pointed at her caused Racheal's inner beast to reawaken. Her burgundy red eyes automatically scanned the guards for the strongest and weakest opponents.  
  
A guard went for the alarm.  
  
"I think not." Magneto said and ripped the buzzer off the wall, using nothing but his mind. A round of guns being cocked and loaded sounded. Magneto looked unimpressed.  
  
"This is private property!" a brave guard yelled out. "You are hereby ordered to leave these premises immediately."   
  
"Come along." Magneto said to Racheal, ignoring the guards words. He took a few steps forward, that's when the gun shots started.  
  
Every guard seemed to be unloading there weapons in Magneto and Racheal's direction.   
  
Racheal instinctively ducked, but she needn't have bothered. All the bullets were dropping down like rain in front of her.  
  
Magneto lifted his hands. The gate and all the guards weapons were thrown to the side.   
  
Seeing the guards now unarmed, Racheal began lunging forward, tossing the red darts as she went. The four guards were quickly disposed of, but the next round was coming-after hearing the gunshots.  
  
Not wasting time with the darts she grabbed her gun and began loading rounds into the approaching mob. Not thinking twice about the so-called innocent blood spilt.  
  
'If it's them or me?' she thought. 'I pick me.'  
  
Magneto approached with a look favorable impression.  
  
"Let's find the others." he said and led her inside the Mutant Control Center building.   
  
  
  
please r/r 


	8. Contradiction

A new chap! Special thanks to my friend Robin! who offered to play a part in my story!! Youll see her in this chapter (and the next).  
  
Magneto, the perfect gentleman, opened the door for Racheal and swooshed her inside. The building was lit brightly from florescent lights, it had a clinical feel and smell to it. Magneto walked to a security door and had no trouble ripping it from its hinges and discarding it to the side. He motioned for Racheal to go ahead of him.  
  
They walked down the lit corridor a few paces. The unblinking eye of security cameras watching their every step. Finally, they reached a office room. The secretary did a quick double take as Racheal and Magneto entered her office.   
  
The secretary got shakily on her feet, and backpedaled a few steps.   
  
"Where are the files kept?" Magneto asked and the secretary pointed a uneven finger to the left door. "Bring her too," Magneto told Racheal. "We may need her."  
  
Racheal walked behind the secretary and led her along.   
  
"I don't know anything." she was saying. "Really, I just work here. My name is Robin, I'm just a secretary." Her brown eyes pleaded with Racheal.  
  
"You're a human working for the MCC, you're not one of his favorite people. Just stay quiet and do what we say, and you may live through this." Racheal whispered to her.   
  
Toad, Mystique, and Sabertooth came running at them from the opposite end of the hallway.   
  
When Robin saw the others her feet started to give out from under her forcing Racheal to hold her up. "I cant hold you up, you're going to have to walk." Racheal struggled.  
  
Sabertooth was sensing Robins fear of him. He sauntered over to her and gave her his most frightening glare.   
  
"You're not helping." Racheal said, still trying to get Robin on her feet.  
  
Magneto opened the door and led them inside. It was a medium sized room with filing cabinets lining one side and a computer hard drive on the other wall.   
  
"Toad." said Magneto and motioned to the computer. Toad nodded and sat down at the computer and flipped in a disk and began to download all the files on the computer. Sabretooth began smashing over the file cabinets and spreading the large extensive files all over the floor.   
  
"Wait a minute." Racheal said, watching Toad. "Why are you copying off their files onto disk?"  
  
"This information will be invaluable to our cause, Racheal." Magneto answered, putting extra emphasis on the word 'our'.   
  
"What do you mean?" she asked her eyes narrowing.   
  
"I don't have time to walk you through this." Magneto waved her off with his hand. "We will use these files to find newly mutated mutants, so they can join The Brotherhood." Magneto checked Mortimer's progress by looking over his shoulder.  
  
"And if they don't join?" She felt she already knew the answer.  
  
"Those that are not with us are against us, surely, you must understand that." Magneto turned to look back at her.  
  
"I understand that using those files makes us no better than them." she said quietly.  
  
"I am not interested in ethics." Magnetos eyes weren't cold, they were determined. "I will lead us to a new tomorrow, Racheal, by any means necessary." He gave her a sad smile, as though he understood her aversion. "Now, we have work to do."   
  
"Done, Magneto." Toad said popping the disk out of the console.  
  
"Excellent." Magneto said and motioned at Sabretooth. The group left the room, but before they left the hallway Racheal saw the room go up in flames.   
  
___  
  
  
Back through the way that they had came in, they reached the front door of the MCC. Robin started pleading more when she saw the bodies of the dead guards outside on the pavement.   
  
"You do all this?" Mortimer asked Racheal. His voice held a mixture of awe and humor.   
  
"Well, they did open fire on us." She shrugged.  
  
"Oh my god," Robin yelled looking at the guards. "That's Jim. You killed Jim? Jim has a family." Robin broke free and knelt at Jim's body. "You will burn in hell for what you did here tonight." Robin tossed her blonde hair back and scowled at Racheal. Racheal noticed Robin almost looked like the exact opposite of her. Robin was tall and blonde, with gorgeous brown eyes, enough to make any man whimper. Racheal was short, and very aware of how severe she must look with her black hair and mutated red eyes. She figured Robin was probably right, she probably would burn in hell.  
Robin, the angel, the innocent secretary. Racheal, the demon, the crazed mutant that had killed approximately 20 men that very night. They formed a strange yin-yang standing there in the moonlight. Was Robin really so innocent? Was Racheal really so malevolent?  
  
the next chapter will feature the Xmen...r/r 


	9. Enter The XMen

I had some super help on this chapter by a friend of mine, Osso. She helped me out with the battle scenes...Kudos to her~~!! Thanks again to Robin for letting me use and abuse her :)  
I hope you like this chapter!  
  
  
  
Racheal broke Robin's grasp on the dead guards body.   
  
"Don't give me grief," Racheal said to Robin. "I'm sure there's enough room in hell for both of us, or did you forget you work for an agency that breeds hate and fear?"  
  
"The fear of mutants is clearly warranted," Robin whispered, her eyes wide. "Look around you."  
  
"Save your finger pointing for someone else." Racheal said and got her hold back on Robin. The group began to walk toward the van.  
  
Sabertooth stopped and examined the air.  
  
"What is it?" Magneto asked, noticing Sabertooth strange behavior.  
  
But before he could answer, a blast came from nowhere towards Racheal. Toad leaped quickly and pushed her and Robin out of its way less than a second before it would have hit them.  
  
"Split up!" Magneto yelled "We've got company"  
  
Toad and Racheal got up and looked around for the attacker. Robin remained on the ground, looking scared to death.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Racheal asked with a tone of awe in her voice.  
  
"Must be the X-men. The mutants Magneto warned you abou.." Before Toad could finish his sentence, a large man in black leather uniform jumped over Toad knocking him on the ground. Racheal turned around only too see Toad kicking the stranger in the face and starting a fight with him. She was about to reach for one dart to help him when another blast came towards her. She dodge it quickly and saw another man in black uniform with a strange red visor.  
  
"Who are you?" he yelled at her, putting his right hand on the side of his visor.   
  
"Name's Aries." she said grabbing the dart from her thigh. She wanted to get rid of him as quickly as possible so she could go and help Toad out.   
  
Scott blasted the dart before it reached him.  
  
Robin began scurrying away on her hands and knees across the pavement.  
  
"And what's your power," Cyclops said shooting another dart that sliced toward him, "the ability to aim well?"  
  
"The ability to kick your ass." she yelled and lunged forward at Cyclops.   
  
--  
  
Meanwhile, Mystique, Magneto, Sabertooth and Toad were in trouble too..   
  
Magneto looked worried at the fight between Toad and Wolverine. Toad had the disk with all the information that had been registered in the MCC.  
  
Jean was busy holding Sabertooth still with her mind when someone kick her hard in the ribs, making her lose the concentration and Sabertooth got loose. He went directly at Wolverine, who was about to knock Toad out.  
Jean looked up to see Mystique's feet going at her face, knocking her down.  
  
Storm was going towards Magneto when she looked down and saw Jean being knocked out, that's when Magneto decided to took control of Wolverine's metal skeleton and made him fly towards Storm, making both fall hard in the ground.  
  
--  
  
Cyclops blasted at Racheal's leg but only managed to cut thru her uniform and burn her skin slightly, but it was enough to make her realize he meant business. Racheal pretended she was going to lunge for him again, but instead grabbed Robin off the ground and used her as a shield.  
  
It was too late, Cyclops had already fired a blast that went through Robins shoulder straight into Racheal's as well. Robin screamed and fainted.  
  
"Damn it." Scott yelled, when he had realized what he had done.  
  
Racheal answered by throwing a small hand explosive at him. He jumped quickly out of it way just before it exploded.   
  
Toad was going to help her when Magneto stopped him.  
  
"No, Toad, you come with me!" He was worried about the disk "The others can help Racheal with Cyclops." Magneto yelled. "We meet back at the base. Fast!"  
  
Toad gave a longing glance backwards as he followed Magneto away from the base, being torn between his loyalty to Magneto and his need to try and protect the only woman he had ever loved.  
  
Racheal was too busy with Cyclops to notice.   
  
Sabretooth and Mystique were both fighting Wolverine and Storm. Jean was still knocked out. Logan's claws made contact with Mystique's skin and she yelled out in pain. Sabretooth growled at Logan and hefted Mystique onto his shoulders.   
  
"You're on your own, kid!" Sabretooth yelled at Racheal and he ran off with Mystique.   
  
"Get back here, bub!" Wolverine yelled after him and chased Sabretooth into the darkness and out of sight.   
  
Racheal looked around and noticed she was the only one of her team remaining. She began to run away in the same direction Sabretooth had went but Jean had came to and sent a piece of metal soaring to Racheal's head.   
  
The last thing Racheal remembered was Cyclops standing over her, saying something about taking her to see a Professor. Then everything went black.  
  
  
  
  
please read and review! 


	10. Trying to Help

"You may as well open your eyes, I know you're awake." It was a female voice.  
  
Racheal s eyes opened and she looked up at the woman who had spoken  
The woman had fiery red hair and was wearing a frown of concentration as she walked over to the other hospital bed. Racheal lifted her head and noticed that the other occupied beds held Cyclops and Robin. Racheal started to get up but noticed she couldn't.   
  
"I cant move…am I paralyzed?" Racheal asked, beginning to panic.  
  
"No," Jean answered. "I'm holding you still, so you won't try anything. Ah, Professor," Jean said looking up at the wheel-chaired man that had just entered the room. "She just awoke." Jean's tone sounded bitter. Racheal figured it was because of Cyclops's injuries.  
  
The professor wheeled forward and brought himself into Racheal's line of view.   
  
"I am Professor Charles Xavier." he said, sounding quite the gentleman. "You are in my school for gifted children."  
  
"Pleasure to make you acquaintance." Racheal said in a mock tone. "Still uncomfortable not being able to move freely.  
  
"I need to ask you some questions." Professor Xavier's voice was kind and soft, almost soothing.   
  
'NO QUESTIONS UNTIL WE CAN MOVE!' screamed a voice in her head. A voice she hadn't heard for days, but it had returned so powerful that her nose immediately began to leak blood.  
  
Xavier's brow furrowed and his expression seemed alarmed, as if he heard it too. He exchanged worried glances with Jean Grey. Jean got a swab and wiped Racheal's nose of the blood.  
  
"What was that?" Xavier asked Racheal.  
  
"You heard it too?" Racheal asked, disbelieving it.  
  
"I am telepathic," Xavier explained. "I heard and felt it, loud and clear." He wheeled closer to her bedside. "Please be honest with me. Racheal." he said, knowing her name, "Who was that?"  
  
"Just the raving mad lunatic that lives inside me." Racheal said sarcastically, even though it was hard to do. "Don't mind him, he's only the rebirthing of the Greek God of War."  
  
Xavier's face clouded and his expression became impossible for her to read. Eventually he straightened up in his chair and looked deep into Racheal's face.   
  
"I need you to relax," he began, "I need you to listen to the sound of my voice and relax."  
  
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Racheal noticed his lips weren't moving.  
  
--  
  
Charles Xavier found himself standing in a hallway in what appeared to be a normal suburban home. A faint humming sound coming from one of the upstairs rooms. He walked slowly up the stairs until he reached a small bedroom, decorated in pink and white.  
  
A little girl sat in the middle of the room. She was softly humming to herself, and coloring in a book.  
  
"Hello there." Xavier said, walking over to the little girl.  
  
The girl remained still, quietly humming to herself.  
  
"That's a very nice frog picture." Xavier said sweetly as he saw what the girl was coloring.  
  
"It's not a frog," the girl said not looking up. "It's a toad." She then went back to humming her lazy tune.   
  
Xavier nodded and walked to the window of the bedroom. The landscape beyond it was barren and dreadful. It was filled with dead, bent trees and jagged rocks. In the distance stood a tall Grecian-styled palace. Lightening and dark clouds looming behind it, highly contrasting the white pillars of marble  
  
"We don't go there." came a female voice beside him. He looked to see Racheal standing beside him, only it was Racheal without red eyes and black hair. She was plumper and her eyes looked sad instead of vengeful. "This is the only safe place." Her voice was low, as though she was afraid of being overheard.  
  
"I must go there." he said to her, and instantly he was out of the bed room and standing outside the palace. Standing there, like wax-figures, were soldiers, samurais, vikings, and knights in armor. They stood at silent attention.   
  
If they noticed Xavier, they made no move to show it.   
  
Xavier walked past them quietly, and up the tall steps into the palace.   
  
For a moment, he thought his eyes had deceived him. Sitting on a huge throne was what could only be described as a 100 ft. tall statue of a man in armor. Only it wasn't a statue, it was breathing.   
  
"Who are you?" Xavier demanded, but the man didn't bother to move. "What are you doing here?" No answer came.  
  
Xavier turned to leave and standing there were all the soldiers and knights from the front steps. They were pointing every spear, sword, arrow, and gun directly at him. They had cold unfeeling faces, ready and waiting the command to kill.   
  
Xavier turned back to Ares, sitting on the throne.   
  
"LEAVE NOW." came the ancient ones voice, and Charles Xavier found himself back in the x-mansion, Jean Grey looking worriedly back at him.  
  
  
  
I hope you like this chapter, taking a trip into Racheal's subconscious. fun fun.  
  
Thanks to Osso again for help! kudos to you.  
  
r/r 


	11. Denial

"What is it professor?" Jean Grey asked, seeing the Professor's worried look.  
  
"This is beyond anything I have seen." he replied after a long pause. "Come along, Jean. We have some research to do."  
  
Jean followed the professor out of the medical quarters as Racheal slipped back into unconsciousness.  
  
-  
  
"Where is she? Why did you leave her?" Toad's accent was so broken, but Sabretooth knew what he meant.  
  
"I did what I had to." Sabretooth said thru clenched teeth, it was obvious he didn't like having to defend his actions.  
  
"Listen, you overgrown cat, If anything has happened to her." Toad's eyes were intense.  
  
"You'll what?" Sabretooth advanced on Toad, barring his fists.  
  
"It was a foolish mistake," Magneto spoke up, "But we will get her back." He said more to Toad. His voice wasn't compassionate, it was firm, as though he had no doubt of what he said.  
  
Inside Toad was fearing the worst. It seemed to be his luck, the one girl who had ever seemed to care for him was now gone, possibly dead or in the hands of the enemy. One thing in his head was certain, if the she was hurt, the X-men would pay. "Do you know where she is?" Toad asked Magneto. Doing what came natural to him, looking to his mentor for strength, wisdom, and leadership.  
  
"Our first move will be to find out if they, The X-Men, indeed have her." Magneto answered. "I will take care of that. You need to rest up until I have need of you."  
  
Magneto swept from the room. He took long strides to his office, where he sat behind his desk composing a very important letter.  
  
-  
  
When Racheal reawakened, she found herself in, what was unmistakably, a cell. She had been laid on the cold floor and left. Immediately standing up, she assessed the situation.  
  
They had dressed her in a maroon tank top and plain brown, loose fitting cotton pants.  
  
'Inmate pants, how fitting indeed.'  
  
The cell was sealed off with what seemed to be a gleaming blue laser force- field. There were no windows, only bright florescent lighting. They had removed her shoes and even trimmed her fingernails.  
  
'Well, One things for sure.They aren't taking any chances with me. I wonder if I should be flattered.'  
  
"We are only taking the necessary precautions." Racheal's head popped up from her hands to see the wheelchair bound professor on the other side of the blue force-field. "It is good to see you up and around, Racheal." He said with a kind smile.  
  
"How long do you plan on keeping me locked up in here?" she asked, pacing back and forth.  
  
"I understand your uncomfortable in these surroundings, but the amount of time you spend here is entirely up to you." he answered kindly.  
  
"If it's up to me, then I want to leave now." she said sarcastically.  
  
"You know very well it doesn't work that way." he said, "You have a very powerful entity living in you, I am not convinced you are capable of controlling it."  
  
"I was controlling it just fine on my own, Thanks." She smarted.  
  
"I believe there are quite a few dead guardsmen that would disagree with you." The professor wheeled around closer to the force-field.  
  
"They opened fire on me."  
  
"Trying to defend your actions?" his words hurt. "And if they hadn't opened fire, what then? Do you really think that would've made a difference.to you or Magneto?"  
  
"So you agree with them?" she asked, succeeding at making her tears subside by forging ahead with anger. "The ones that would have you in chains. The ones that would love nothing more than to see us wiped from the face of the earth."  
  
"I strive for peace." he said.  
  
"Peace?" Racheal asked and then laughed bitterly. "You forget who I have inside me. Peace.peace" She allowed the word to play on her lips, as she turned her back to the professor. "I loathe the very word."  
  
"Then I believe we are done here for now, Miss Welty." he said almost sadly, as he wheeled from the room.  
  
"Yes, I believe we are." she replied to a cold steel wall.  
  
-  
  
"How is she, Professor?" Scott Summers asked Xavier as he came into the conference room, where the X-men were gathered.  
  
"She is up and around." The Professor said after a heavy sigh. "However, she is adamant about her beliefs, and very loyal to Magneto."  
  
"Unfortunate, Professor." said Jean Grey. "Has there been any contact from the brotherhood?"  
  
"Yes," The Professor answered. "An untraceable letter from Erik, asking to meet with me privately and discuss this girl."  
  
"Privately?" Wolverine asked.  
  
"That is a bad idea, Professor." Scott Summers butted in.  
  
"I will handle Erik." Xavier comforted. "I only hope this Aries, returns to her senses."  
  
---  
  
I hope you like this chapter.Just in case anyone is wondering what Aries/Racheal looks like I drew a picture of her, and its posted at this site. http://www.mediaminer.org/fanart/view.php?id=128707 (don't worry about the short hair and tattoos.she gets those later in the story) Please leave a review~! For the story and the picture if you have the time. 


	12. Conversations

Magneto stood by a park bench, waiting for Charles Xavier to arrive. Magneto was wearing a plain looking hat, but it was also designed to block out Xavier's telepathy.  
  
"Ah, Charles," Magneto said good-naturedly, when he saw Charles Xavier approaching. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."  
  
"I received your letter." Charles said wheeling himself over in front of Magneto. "I assume this has something to do with the girl."  
  
"You don't mind if I have a seat, do you?" Magneto asked and made a motion to the park bench.  
  
"I can't return the girl to you, Erik. She must pay for her crimes, even if she was just following your orders." Xavier said, as Magneto sat down.  
  
"Straight to the point, as usual." Magneto said, almost to himself.  
  
"Where did you find her?" Xavier asked, Magneto only smiled, making it obvious he wasn't going to answer his question. "Her mutation is most.extraordinary, and dangerous."  
  
"Dangerous?" Magneto asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.  
  
"This girl doesn't understand what's happening to her. We need to help her drive out this entity that is taking over her mind."  
  
"To drive him out, would be to rid her of her mutation completely."  
  
"Precisely. You do understand what will happen if we don't act?"  
  
"By all means, enlighten me." Magneto grinned.  
  
"The girl will cease to exist. She will be trapped inside her own subconscious. This God will have free reign over her. He is already getting stronger as we speak."  
  
"Aren't we above these petty games, Charles? Don't pretend to be concerned about the girl."  
  
"What else would I be concerned about?" Charles said, his brow set.  
  
"Face it." His eyes danced. "You're scared." Magneto stood, as if to leave. "Racheal is becoming stronger, Charles, changing in ways that even she does not understand. It happened quickly at first, now it's progressing slower, but the end will be the same." Magneto looked down at his friend. "You're frightened because you know that when her mutation has reached it's full potential, she will be a God." Magneto made a sweeping gesture to the world around him.  
  
"That's ridiculous." Charles waved the comment off with his hand.  
  
"Is it?" Magneto asked with a knowing smile. "You have been in her mind, have you not? You seen what lies waiting there?"  
  
"I saw a very scared little girl, Erik."  
  
"Then you didn't look close enough, old friend." Magneto said and then left, walking briskly to the parking lot.  
  
--  
  
Meanwhile, Racheal laid on the floor of her cell. She was curled up in a ball, thinking about Toad. Wondering if he was thinking about her as well. Would he come to rescue her? But that was a silly dream, wasn't it? Something from a fairy tale, when the harsh reality was a hard floor behind a blue pulsing force-field.  
  
She heard approaching foot steps, and for a moment allowed herself to believe they might belong to Mortimer, but then she looked up to see the true owner, Cyclops.  
  
"What do you want?" She asked and propped herself up on the wall.  
  
"I thought you might want to know that Robin, the secretary you almost killed, is going to be ok. She left this morning." He stood with a look of superiority on his sun-glassed face. His arms were crossed and his tone was sarcastic.  
  
"Thanks for the update." Racheal said with as little effort as she could muster. "Anything else I should know?"  
  
"You're a good fighter." Cyclops said after a moments pause. "A bit inexperienced, but still you held your own against me, and that's saying something."  
  
"Yeah well thanks." she replied after a heavy sigh, wondering if this guy could get any more full of himself.  
  
"I could teach you to develop it, your fighting skills." Cyclops shrugged.  
  
"It would have to be a correspondence lesson, in case you haven't noticed, I'm a bit locked up at the moment." She managed a sarcastic smile. Cyclops smiled too, half to himself.  
  
"Granted, you are going to have to let the professor help you, but then who knows, maybe after a lot of training and hard work, you could join our team."  
  
"Oh, could I?!" she said with mock enthusiasm. "I think I've already had this discussion with your professor. It didn't work then and it certainly isn't working now." Racheal once again turned her back to force-field. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to be alone."  
  
Listening to the footsteps fade away, she prayed silently to herself. 'Dear God please let Toad come for me.'  
  
Thank you for my reviews I really appreciate them. 


	13. Escapeing

Toad sat still listening to his breathing. He was used to heart ache before, but not like this. Before it had been self depression, feeling sorry for himself. Now he was hurting for someone else. Racheal had been taken prisoner and he was mad as hell at himself for not doing anything about it. Deep inside he hoped Racheal didn't blame him for leaving her to fend for herself.  
  
  
---  
  
It had been hours since Cyclops had left her holding cell. Racheal was spending her time recounting the past few days in her head. She spent the most time going over her time with Mortimer.   
  
She hadn't realized how deep her feelings for him truly were, until she was kept away from him. She only hoped she would see him again to tell him how she felt.  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by the unmistakable sound of someone coming. Once again she allowed herself to hope that it was The Brotherhood, and once again she was wrong. This time the visitor was a blonde boy…not much younger than Racheal herself.   
"Who are you?" Racheal asked, sounding irate.  
  
"John Allardyce." he answered.  
  
"Well, John, what brings you here? Is it extra credit to come look at the prisoners?"   
  
"The whole mansion is talking about you. I guess I wanted to come see you for myself." he shrugged.  
  
"Ok, you've seen me. You can leave." She turned over.  
  
"Is it true you killed like 50 people, and that you can't control yourself?" he asked.  
  
"I wouldn't believe everything you hear." Racheal turned back to look at him. "You ever kill someone?"  
  
"My gift..." he answered, pulling out a Zippo lighter and flicking it open. "I can control fire." The lighter flame grew into a fire ball and levitated above his palm. "Bad thing about that is, once you burn something up it's pretty much gone for good."  
  
"Yeah, well, there are a few things I wish would be gone for good."'  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"This force field for one." Racheal shrugged. "But I doubt your fire power could get rid of that."  
  
"No," John said putting out the fire ball, "but this might." John pushed a button on the wall that Racheal could not see. Almost instantly the blue force field disappeared.  
  
"Hey!" Racheal exclaimed and jumped thru the doorway. "Thanks." she looked at him, this close she could tell he was almost taller than her. "How can I thank you?" she asked.  
  
"Just remember me, we may meet up again sometime." He took a step closer to her then walked past her out of the room.   
  
---  
Racheal left the cell room. She looked to her left then back at John but he had already went the opposite direction into some sort of elevator. She was relying purely on instinct as she made her way to the left and down the blue-white corridor.   
  
Walking on her tiptoes as to not make too much of an echo, she went as fast as she could.   
  
"The thing is she could be a great fighter, if only she had a bit more control." It was defiantly Cyclops' voice, and it was coming from behind her. "I can't believe she is still refusing the Professors help."  
  
"We can't know exactly what she is going through," it was a female voice answering him. She spoke slowly and with a faint accent.  
  
Racheal put herself as close to the wall as possible, looking for any way to escape. Within moments Cyclops and the woman would turn the corner and see her.   
  
About to give up and stand her ground to fight, painfully aware she was without any weapon to use, Racheal saw just what she needed. A ventilation outlet covered with a thin wire vent. Not wasting any time, Racheal popped the vent off and climbed inside. She put the vent back into place just in the nick of time.   
  
Racheal watched as Cyclops and the dark skinned woman with artic white hair walked past the vent she was crouched behind.  
  
"I guess you're right." Cyclops answered. "It really is a shame Magneto got to her first."  
Racheal's eyes narrowed. Sure, Magneto hadn't been the most gracious of men, but he had been there for her when she needed him. Without realizing it she had grown close to Magneto. She trusted him as much as she could trust anyone in her state of mind, and that was more than she could say for the Professor.  
  
Looking around she could tell the ventilation shaft was big. Fresh clean air was blowing towards her. She took a few cautionary steps forward and noticed that the deeper in she went the bigger the passage got.   
  
It was a tunnel leading somewhere outside the mansion.  
Sorry its been so long since an update. Please rr and let me know what you think. 


	14. Still escapeing

Magneto came into the room with a whoosh, both doors slamming shut behind him. The rest of The Brotherhood could tell he wasn't happy.  
  
"They have her." he said, giving the only indication of the reason he was upset. "Toad, you and Sabretooth, go to Xavier's school in Westchester. Patrol the boundaries of the property. Xavier's land is approximately 5 miles long on either side so it won't be an easy task. Be on your guard…They will be expecting us."  
  
Toad jumped up to his feet. He had mixed emotions. On one hand, he was glad to finally be doing something to get her back, and be closer to where she was. On the other, he had hoped to be doing something more than just surveillance.   
  
"Mystique." Magneto said turning to the blue skinned female. "I have something else for you to do."  
  
----  
"I brought you something to eat." Scott Summers said as he entered the brig.   
  
He shut the door behind him, perfectly balancing the tray of organically grown healthy food in one hand.   
  
"You'd probably prefer red meat, but I brought you something wholesome instead. An all veggie sandwich…on whole wheat." he said still looking at the tray. "I just hope you like mustar…" Cyclops had looked up and adjusted his visor, thinking for a moment that what he saw couldn't be real.   
  
The force field was gone, and so was Racheal.  
  
----  
  
John Allardyce, better known to himself and a few friends as Pyro, was sitting on his bed in the room he shared with Bobby Drake. He was flicking his lighter on and off, but his mind wasn't even aware of it.   
  
He was questioning himself. Why had he helped the girl escape? It wasn't really in his nature to help people. In fact, the reason he had went down there in the first place was to laugh at her. How lame was it to get caught by Summers? Very.  
  
But when he had seen her in the cell, something struck him. He had almost felt sorry for her. He shrugged and figured some beings weren't meant to be caged, but was that really the reason?  
  
----  
  
Racheal was running as fast as she could, being barefooted, through the wooded area behind the Xavier mansion. Still relying on her instincts to guide her through the maze of trees. She wasn't sure where she was headed or how to get there. The sun was setting fast, but her thoughts weren't of finding shelter, they were of finding Mortimer.  
  
----  
  
"The fire kid's been in here recently." Wolverine said sniffing the air in the cell.  
  
"John?" Storm asked, her face blanketed with disbelief.  
  
Wolverine nodded, and walked past her and Cyclops. They quickly followed Logan's lead.  
  
They walked up into the boys dormitory area, where they found John sitting on his bed.  
  
"What were you doing in the holding area?" Cyclops asked John, who looked surprised at the intrusion.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." he said and rolled his eyes at Scott Summers.   
  
"Listen, bub," Wolverine said stepping forward, lifting John up by his shirt collar. "I know you was down there, so fess up."  
  
"I just wanted to look at her. She tricked me." John said, obviously worried about the close proximity of Logan's blades.  
  
Logan dropped the kid back on his bed and turned to Scott.  
  
"We're wasting time, she cant be far."  
  
---  
The sun had long set and there was no moon to replace it. Racheal was just beginning to wish she had night vision powers, when she heard something moving very close to where she stood.   
  
Whatever or who ever it was heard her too, cause it immediately got very quiet.   
  
She bent down slowly and ran her long fingers across the ground until….bingo…a stick. Slowly rising into a battle stance she waited. The blood pulsing thru her ears skewing her hearing.  
  
Just as she began to think maybe she had imagined it there was a whoosh behind her. She turned fast using the stick to stab who ever it was, but luckily a hand caught hers in mid swing.  
  
"That you, luv?" came that all to familiar accent.  
  
"Mortimer?" she asked and dropped the stick she was holding.  
  
She heard him rummaging and then a flashlight beam came on. Sure enough big green eyes and a huge gummy smile greeted her.   
  
"It really is you!" she exclaimed and flew into his arms, where he held her back as tightly as possible. "I thought….I thought…."  
  
"You thought I wouldn't come for you." he finished for her. He sounded hurt.  
  
"No," she answered, her face still buried in his neck. "I thought I would never get the chance to tell you I love you."  
  
"You were all that I thought about." was all he managed to say in return.  
  
Toad grabbed his communicator and let Sabretooth know that Racheal was found and safe with him.  
  
"Here," Toad said holding her close to him. "Let's get you back where you belong. Let's get you home."   
  
Mortimer wrapped Racheal's legs and arms around him. Warned her to hold on tight, and leaped straight up into the air. They came down with a thud meters away.   
  
It was a bumpy ride but she hardly noticed. She was exactly where she wanted to be.  
Yay ! i updated !RR 


	15. A Few Months Later

-a bit of inspiration for a once thought long done story…..thank you for all my reviews on this…I think it's the most loved of all my fics and holds a special place in my heart.

**Some Time Later:**

Aries closed her red eyes to the sun. It was hot and the pool was nice. She was floating along the side of the pool. She glanced back down in the water and smiled to herself as Toad swam by furiously, beneath the waters surface.

He was showing off.

He swam down one end and back again barely coming up for air. This was his element. Aries smiled to herself before looking back up to the sky and basking in its rays. She enjoyed the heat and power of the sun even more so now that her mutation was stronger.

A splash beside her brought her out of her trance. Toad's big green eyed and gummy smile'd head had popped out of the water beside her and kissed her cheek playfully before backwards diving into the water again, to flip and swirl around her legs. She laughed and made her way out of the pool, grabbing her towel where she had left it before.

Toad came up on the pool steps and squatted on them, in a very toad-like way, looking at her quizzically.

"I'm going in to make a drink…" she said to him, he smiled and nodded before bounding back in. "Anyone want anything?" she asked the rest of the gathered mutants. Mystique barely grunted a reply over her magazine and Pyro who had been laying on a nearby lounge, playing with his lighter, didn't acknowledge she had spoken.

"Fine." Aries stepped back into the large manor home the Brother hood had been using as their base recently and shivered as the cooler air hit her wet form. She made her way to the kitchen, searching the fridge for a few pieces of fruit and grabbed some ice out of the freezer. Soon, she had all the makings of a really interesting blended fruit drink in front of her. Chopping the fruit with a knife she managed to find in a nearby drawer, she failed to hear someone enter the room until he was right behind her.

"Alone at last." said a whisper near her ear. It was Pyro, and he was close. Aries spun around to find his arms around her, resting on both sides of the counter around her. He was younger than her yet taller and his intense, cocky gaze bore into her as he grinned-moving in closer.

He had joined the brotherhood not long after she had escaped from the X-men, and she knew she wouldn't have escaped if Pyro hadn't helped her. She hated to admit it but she owed him.

"Pyro," Aries said, angry at being snuck up on and cornered. Fully aware she was still holding the knife in her hand, she tried to step out of his grasp, but he wasn't moving. "We've been over this. Toad and I are…"

"I don't want to hear about your boyfriend." Pyro's eyes moved down to her lips.

"He's my fiancé." Aries corrected, waving the ring Toad had given her in front of Pyro's face.

"He's a joke…" Pyro smirked, ignoring her hand. "He's not right for you."

"Then, who is? You?" Aries asked.

"Yea," he said barely above a whisper and moved closer. Aries brought the knife up to his throat. The blade pushed against his skin but he didn't back away. He reached over to the nearby stove and took the fire from the range's pilot-light. He harnessed the fire in his hand and held it up to Aries's face.

She felt the blaze's warmth on her skin. It was so close, it was beginning to be threatening, but then he pulled it back slightly. Allowing it to dance in the air, his other hand found her waist.

"We're alike, Aries." he said as he played with the fire in his hands. "Together, we make sense. There can't be war without fire. " The flames flashed hotter as his legs stepped in with hers, their lower bodies making contact. She still had the knife at his throat but he was leaning in and she wasn't fending him off. Their lips were close-one slight movement and….

"Hope I'm not interrupting?" came Magneto's lofty voice from the doorway. He took in the sight of the two of his most powerful mutants and tried to make a distinction in what he saw. Though Aries held a knife to Pyro's throat, and he was holding a bright blaze very near Aries's head, they seemed to be embracing as lovers.

"Not at all." Pyro said, his eyes not leaving hers. The fire in his hand disappeared and he smirked at her, before turning his back and leaving the kitchen. He was pleased with himself at how close he had just been to kissing her, and knowing that with just a little more effort he would get what he wanted.

After Pyro left, Magneto turned his gaze on Aries.

"From the looks of things, I suppose I don't have to warn you that you're playing with fire." he said, eyebrow raised.

She shook her head no and tried refocusing her attention on the task she had been doing prior to Pyro's interruption, but she found she was no longer thirsty.

"We all have choices to make, Aries." Magneto said, then he added more to himself. "…some harder than others."

"I've made my choices and I stick by them." Aries turned to Magneto. Her voice had more of an edge to it than she would've liked.

Magneto nodded and left. Aries looked at the ring on her finger.

--

Mortimer's eyes opened in the night. Aries laid beside him, under his arm, sleeping. A smile crossed his face as he kissed the top of her head. He liked it here. The Brotherhood had been using the manor house as a base of operations ever since their last hideout had been discovered by the government. It was best to stay on the move, and Mortimer knew they would have to leave this place soon, just as they had the others. He still couldn't help enjoying it while it lasted.

He closed his eyes and allowed himself to pretend this was his life, that he could some day give this kind of life to her, his girl.

Aries grip tightened on Toad's arm. His large green eyes popped open, concern for her replacing his previous thoughts.

"Mort…Mort -its coming." she managed to get out in a small frightened voice before her head popped back and her eyes glowed in the dark room.

"I got you, luv." he said firmly. He held her tightly as her body began thrashing under him. "It's alright."

Her body raged and the bed shook as she cried out into the still night. The sound that came forth didn't seem to come from her at all. It seemed to come from something inside her and it sent shivers down Toad's spine.

Her red glowing eyes met his and she looked at him as though she had never seen him before. A wicked smile played on her lips-which then turned into a scowl.

The fire in her eyes faded and her body went limp in his embrace.

"Aries? Aries?" Toad asked as he tapped her cheek. She didn't respond. "…Rach?"

Her red eyes fluttered open.

"Its ok, Mort. It's stopped." she said, she wiped the cold sweat from her face.

"They're getting worse." Toad's brow was furrowed and his eyes still showed nothing but concern.

"I'm just getting stronger." she pushed herself off to the side of the bed, turning away from him, to avoid his gaze. "You know as well as I do, that I get stronger after these little episodes. It's just me growing into what I'm supposed to become."

"Don't pretend like they don't scare you." Toad said.

"Do they scare you?" Aries turned on him.

"Terribly." Toad replied and pursed his lips.

"Then, do I scare you?" Her eyes were cold, but the slight quiver from her lips broke his heart.

"No." he said firmly. "I love you." She didn't reply. She looked down at her feet, wishing that he truly wasn't scared of her, but she doubted it. She was frightened of herself.

"Let's go back to sleep, ya?" he asked. She nodded, and crawled back under the covers, back into his arms and closed her eyes.

please reveiw. THANK YOU...there should be more soonish


	16. Playing With Fire

--

The next day Magneto made an announcement at breakfast,

"I know you all have been getting a bit restless with this waiting- truth be told I, myself, have found it difficult to lay low these past weeks. But, Those of you who are new to our brotherhood…" his eyes found Pyro. "…should realize we are not as inactive as we seem."

Magneto motioned to Toad, who came forward and put a disc on the table.

"This hold the names and current locations of all known mutants-the ones the government knows about anyway. It was stolen, by us, from the Mutant Control Center."

A few of the newer mutants scoffed and gasped.

"Yes, It exists-or did." Magneto nodded to Aries.

"There are those of us who risked our lives to get this information, and I intend to use it. I want to recruit these brothers to our cause."

"And those we cant?" a girl asked in the back. She was one of the newer recruits as well. Magneto had gathered them at a local mutant community action meeting.

"Extend the offer-and if they refuse…" Magneto's smile was full of secrecy. "Politely ask them to stay out of our way."

"So, What?" Pyro asked looking up, with his signature cocky grin. "We going to go door to door? I'm not sure if I like the idea of becoming a Jehovah's witness for mutant-kind."

"I wouldn't worry, Pyro." Magneto said mildly amused-he liked the boy. "I have no intention of putting you in a recruiting position-after all we do want people to join." Pyro's grin fell slightly. "You shall stay here and guard the base-with Aries."

Pyro made to protest-he wasn't a fan of being left out- but then it dawned on him he would be alone in this huge mansion with Aries. He shut his mouth. Pyro looked over at her. When his eyes met hers, her stomach lurched.

Toad smiled at Aries-glad that Magneto had chosen her to stay behind in the manor home-safe.

"The rest of you-get ready." Magneto said and stood up. Aries right behind him.

"May I speak with you?" she asked. Pyro watching, not saying a word.

"Of course, dear." Magneto motioned her into the study. "I had a feeling you would ask."

Once the door was closed behind them, Magneto made his way to the desk and, using his powers, pulled up a chair for Aries.

"Go ahead." he said once seated.

"Yesterday, in the kitchen-Pyro and I-what you saw was…"

"I know very well what I saw." Magneto's voice cutting her off. "What I saw was unfinished business. However, whatever there may be between Pyro and yourself doesn't interest me in the least. You and Pyro are both powerful mutants, and my reasons for keeping you here are many. In your case, I suspect my old friend, Charles Xavier, has a vested interest in r_escuing_ you from my _evil_ clutches. I wouldn't doubt that he has some elaborate scheme planned to save you from me. And Pyro, well, he is far too hot headed to be useful to me in this circumstance-but strong enough to help protect you while I'm away."

"I apologize-I wont second guess your word again." she nodded and turned to leave.

"Toad tells me you've been having trouble sleeping." Magneto said as she reached for the door handle. "Apparently, the thrashing coming from your room at night was not what I suspected it to be."

"I'm handling it." she said not turning around to face him-for fear the anger she now felt at her secret being _shared _with Magneto.

"_I_ still have faith in you, Aries." he added. She wondered if that was to imply he was one of the only ones who still did. She turned the knob and went back into the rest of the house.

--

She barreled down the hall way. Toad had told Magneto about her outbursts? How dare he? She was ashamed enough of losing control and scared of what was happening to her-without having to worry about who all knew about it. She couldn't wait to find Toad and give him a piece of her mind. It was a trust issue to her and if she couldn't trust him- then who could she trust?

As she was going too fast down the hallway in her mad rage, she turned a corner and smacked right into Pyro.

"Hey?" he said as he realized it was her. "You alright?" he added when he saw the redness in her face and the heaving of her chest.

"No." she answered truthfully, and made to pass by him.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked with a slight cock of his head. It made Aries stop to wonder. It wasn't like Pyro to be concerned about others at all, and his expression wasn't exactly compassionate, but right now she needed someone on her side-and he was it.

Her hand shoved Pyro back against the wall. He was wearing his fire starting wrist guards and his first reaction was to defend himself. A flame burst forth from his hand and was about to make contact with Aries, until her lips met his, then, the flame disappeared.

Though Pyro wasn't expecting the kiss, it took him no time to find his footing. Soon he had taken control of the kiss, his tongue finding his way into her mouth. Voices came from near by and Aries quickly pulled back. Trying to catch her breath, she looked in the direction the voices had come from. "To be continued." she said as she walked away-smiling to herself at Pyro's stunned look.

--

please reveiw...


	17. Spazzing Out

----

"I hate to leave like this," Toad said when Aries had entered their shared bedroom. He had been throwing a few things into a small over night pack. His expression was one of worried apprehension. "Still, I'm glad you're staying here. Are you going to be alright alone?"

"Oh, I wont be alone." She said darkly, as she refused to make eye contact with him. She was still far too angry for those big green caring eyes to persuade her. "I'll have Pyro here to _protect_ me." She added with a hint of sarcasm. She was the rebirthing of the Greek God of War and people seemed to think she still couldn't handle herself.

If Toad caught the hint, he didn't show it. He rounded the bed and looked at her.

"I'll be back before you know it." He lifted her chin to meet his.

_He thinks I'm upset he's leaving_. That thought only made her angrier.

"Why did you tell Magneto about my night…" she searched for the right word. "…p_roblems_?"

"Because I'm worried about you. Like it or not you need some help with this."

"I thought I had help, _your _help. Its not something that I want everyone knowing-the fact that I spazz out sometimes."

"_Everyone_ doesn't know. And its more than just spazzing out. It's…" his voice trailed off.

"It's what? Please, enlighten me."

"It scares me." Toad looked at her, when she stared him down like that he couldn't argue with her, even if he was right. "Listen, we'll talk about it when I get back, yeah?" He slung his pack over his shoulder, and hently touched her chin.

"Yeah." She crossed her arms as he walked out.

---

They had left half an hour ago and she was still standing by the window. When had it all gone so wrong?

She saw Pyro's reflection in the glass.

"If you plan on telling me what to do you can just save it." she said turning away from the window to face him. "I have enough people in my life who think they know what's good for me."

No," Pyro said moving closer. "I know what's bad for you."

His lips met hers. They were right back where they had been earlier in the hall way-locked in together as though they always had been. The building tension finally being released as they found their way to Pyro's bed-candles lit around it as though he had been expecting her to return here.

As a lover he was inexperienced but he definitely made up for it in enthusiasm. His eyes intense as he entered her.

Once Pyro had finished on top of her, she felt her first twinge of guilt as the thought of Toad.

What was she doing? They were supposed to be getting married soon, and she was already cheating on him…

She sat up to leave.

"Where you going?" Pyro asked-sounding more like a boy than a man.

"I'm not going to stay here and spoon with you." She said coldly as she reached for her clothes.

"No. You cant just leave." Pyro reached up and grabbed her arm.

"I said Don't Tell Me What To Do!" She threw Pyro back with a force not her own.

He flew back off the bed hitting the far wall. He made it to his feet-still naked- and instinctively pulled the fire from the nearby candle.

Aries didn't look like herself. Her eyes were glowing-her cheekbones looked higher than normal-she was panting as though she had just ran a marathon.

"Aries?" he asked questioningly.

She snarled at him as though she was part beast. He was almost certain she was about to lunge at him when she cried out in pain and fell to the floor.

"Aries!" Pyro yelled as he ran around the bed toward her. She was cradling her head in her hands-her crying still loud though muffled by her arms.

"Go away." she said finally-

"Aries, this is my room. I'm not going anywhere." Pyro said.

Aries lifted her head up at him-and he realized why she had wanted to be left alone.

On her forehead-just peeking out from under her fringe were two hard lumps…she had grown horns.

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